Systemic racism or bias within any government operation in any form is completely unacceptable. We are very proud of the work that we have under way to address discrimination and bias. Systemic racism is rooted in history and it’s very complex. But we understand that we have an obligation to clients, employees and Canadians to do better, and we will.
IRCC established a three-year anti-racism strategy, anti-racism commitments, mandatory unconscious bias training, mentoring and sponsorship programs, for underrepresented groups, racial impact assessment tools for policy development, and additional supports to create meaningful change in the workplace.
The mandatory unconscious bias training will also soon be a pre-requisite for all managers at IRCC to make any financial or staffing decisions.
IRCC also initiated a three-year hiring and retention strategy to address gaps in our workforce diversity to better reflect Canadian demographics.
Anti-racism – Complaints from employees
These conversations are a needed reminder that we can always do better, and that we still have a ways to go.
For those who may not feel comfortable talking to their manager, there are resources and options available for them to come forward safely, whether they experience racism or witness it, without fear of reprisal.
IRCC’s Anti-Racism Task Force has offered a range of outlets for employees to share their experiences: in intimate trust circles, “Let’s Talk Racism” town halls, IRCC’s first workplace survey on racism and focus groups.
The Anti-Racism Task Force provides guidance to employees at all levels on how to have conversations about racism and what micro-aggressions are.
Anti-racism – PSAC grievance
IRCC is aware of the policy grievance. Bargaining agents are key partners in ensuring that improvements are made to the workplace, in protecting employee rights, and ensuring that all employees are contributing to a safe and healthy workplace.
IRCC remains committed to working with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) to find meaningful actions to eliminate discrimination in the workplace and prevent discriminatory practices in the future. IRCC will continue to provide regular updates on our anti-racism efforts at joint labour management committees.
On March 14, we asked PSAC and other bargaining agents to provide input to the Department’s second iteration of its Anti-Racism Strategy.
Anti-racism – Ukraine compared to other situations
We hear the concerns of perceived racism in how the Department responds to different situations. We take these concerns seriously and are reviewing all measures to ensure they align with our anti-racism commitments.
We set up an emergency, temporary program for Ukrainians because we heard from the Ukrainian community that those fleeing eventually want to return home. They want to come to Canada as a temporary safe harbour, not as refugees.
We may be able to implement similar measures for other parts of the world if the context justifies it, regardless of a country’s racial composition.
We also want emphasize that these Ukrainian pathways will not impact the processing of refugees, as they are completely separate immigration streams.
Non-Ukrainian nationals fleeing from Ukraine
We are equally concerned about the well-being of all people who are fleeing Ukraine due to Russia’s full-scale invasion and not just Ukrainian nationals.
Our assessment of the situation suggests that non-Ukrainian nationals would be better served by the temporary measures and support in Europe or in returning to their home countries, rather than coming to Canada.
We are aware of the situation that Afghans – who are seeking resettlement to Canada – are facing in fleeing Ukraine. We have streamlined the application process, but the processing and vetting of refugees, including security checks, is something we need to do to protect the safety of Canadians.
IRCC will continue to use all avenues available to us to help Afghans inside and outside Afghanistan.
Afghanistan vs Ukraine
Ukraine nationals who are looking to come to Canada (not as refugees) have left Ukraine, whereas the majority of Afghan refugees waiting to be resettled to Canada are still in Afghanistan, lacking safe means of departure.
We are working hard to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals as quickly and safety as possible. So far we have welcomed 8,680 Afghan nationals, with more arriving every week.
If this was a matter of will, they would all be here already. There’s no lack of effort on the part of the Government of Canada. But the reality is that this is a multi-year commitment and every step of the way, there are obstacles facing us in Afghanistan that were not present in other large-scale resettlement efforts.
Chinook
Chinook is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that draws different fields of existing information to display it on a spreadsheet, which helps IRCC officers complete routine administrative steps more quickly.
The spreadsheet reduces the amount of time an officer spends on uploading files and clicking screen to screen. This is especially important in countries where bandwidth is low, and would otherwise slow down application processing.
IRCC officers always make their own decisions based on the information submitted in applications. Chinook does not contain any advanced analytics or artificial intelligence technology.
International Students
We are committed to a fair and non-discriminatory application of immigration laws. Volumes of temporary resident visa and study permit applications from Africa have tripled from 2016 to 2019 across the top 8 source countries in Africa, with the number of refusals generally increasing in relative proportion.
While IRCC understands that applicants, as well as the schools that accepted them, are disappointed when an application is refused, there is no great difference between application approval rates for applicants from French-speaking African countries and other countries in the region, or between the approval rates for those destined to Quebec or those destined to other provinces.
The most common reasons for refusal include applicants being unable to show officers they’re able to support themselves in Canada or that they would leave Canada if they no longer had legal status in the future.
Canada-Quebec
During the pandemic, the Department prioritized applications from candidates who are in Canada, including those under the Quebec Skilled Workers category.
The Department achieved 50.2K admissions to Quebec in 2021, surpassing the original ministère de l’immigration, francisation et intégration (MIFI) target of 46K, and coming within 2.5% of the low end of the rebalanced MIFI range (51.5K to 54.5K).
The Department is working with Quebec on innovative ways to address Quebec’s labour shortages and maintain Quebec’s demographic importance in the country.
Backlogs and Inventory
Despite the pandemic, we were still able to make over half a million decisions and welcomed over 405,000 new permanent residents in 2021 – the greatest number of newcomers in a year in Canadian history.
Still, we know that some applicants have experienced considerable wait times with the processing of their applications. We committed to reducing processing times. The 2021 Economic and Fiscal Update, provided new funding of $85M in 2022-2023.These funds will support additional staff, allowing us to return to service standards for study and work permits and permanent resident card renewals, and to welcome people who can help address Canada’s labour shortages.
